Delaying the indictments
This recording is presented as part of the Watergate Collection.
Date: Tuesday, August 1, 1972 - 10:33am - 11:50am
Participants: Richard Nixon, Bob Haldeman
Location: Oval Office
Extracted from Conversation 758-011
President Nixon: Oh, you mean, that’s [unclear], that sort of thing? Yeah. And [unclear].
H.R. “Bob” Haldeman: Yeah. Then hang onto that for a while then let them all go.
Pause.
President Nixon: You say no cooperation from the Justice Department? I understand the FBI.
Haldeman: Well—
President Nixon: I, well, I—
Haldeman: It’s been very hard, it’s—
President Nixon: It’s hard.
Haldeman: [Henry] Petersen has been reasonably good.
President Nixon: [Unclear.]
Haldeman: Within--in fact, pretty, I guess, darn good.
President Nixon: [Unclear.]
Haldeman: The problem has been [Richard] Kleindienst, who has just, you know, just totally washed his hands. Now he’s come back in. [John] Ehrlichman hauled him in yesterday and said, you know, “This has gotten ridiculous. [Unclear.] Now is--you’ve got everything you need, now for Christ’s sake turn it off. Bring your indictments.” Kleindienst seemed to see the light. [Unclear.]
President Nixon: They don’t think this delaying—there’s no way to delay the indictments until after the election, is there?1
Haldeman: No.
President Nixon: No way to speed it up?
Haldeman: Yes. It could be speeded up, but then it would hit right about the Republican Convention time.2 It possibly could be speeded up, not certainly. But it would [unclear] which you were really be better off to have them after.